Venturing Vows

Venturing Vows Elopement and micro wedding photographer for couples who want the local experience for their Oregon Coast elopement.

✋ Beware when you’re looking for elopement locations. ✋⁠⁠•You’re scrolling on Pinterest and come to a photo that takes y...
09/04/2026

✋ Beware when you’re looking for elopement locations. ✋⁠
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You’re scrolling on Pinterest and come to a photo that takes your breath away. That’s it. Your elopement location. That light, that view, the sense of adventure. You run off to your elopement photographer.⁠
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Then the true story unfolds.⁠
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It’s busy, crowded. There’s a thorough permit process. There’s limited time for photos around the crowds. Sometimes there isn’t even parking. And on, and on...⁠
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Because you have to remember, there’s hundreds, thousands even, of other couples scrolling through that same search. They see the same location and have that same moment.⁠
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One of my best pieces of advice I can give as an elopement photographer, is to avoid getting attached to that place you find on Pinterest. I get it a lot. Everyone wants to elope at a handful of very popular coast spots. I get the same images from Pinterest I sent to me over and over saying, “This is where I want to go.” But trust me, it’s not.⁠
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There’s around 15 other locations I have in mind for you that would’ve taken your breath away the exact same way. They just aren’t going viral on Pinterest and Instagram. They’ll give you all the privacy you could want, the right level of physical activity, and the awe-inspiring moment you’re dreaming of.⁠
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I’m not here to convince you to go to a viral location so I can show it off in my portfolio. I’m here to craft a genuine experience for YOU. I’ll take all the information you give me about your dream elopement and customize my recommendations to that.⁠
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Featuring an elopement that was 100% off the beaten path, not going viral on social media locations.
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Oregon Coast
Oregon elopement photographer
Pacific Northwest

What’s the hardest part about getting your gallery back?•Plot twist, I’m the subject of these photos! As someone who sen...
08/27/2026

What’s the hardest part about getting your gallery back?
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Plot twist, I’m the subject of these photos! As someone who sends people massive galleries of photos, I don’t often get the other side of the experience. I remember the first time I got a gallery back of myself after getting my business going. It was not easy. We’re used to photos being in a controlled environment, from one angle, smiling at the camera. Suddenly you have all these photos of you from every angle, some you may have never seen yourself from.
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Getting your gallery back should be a highlight of the experience and suddenly, you’re overwhelmed with insecurities. They seem to stare at you even if you love most of the photos. You want to see the cute moment but instead, you’re looking at something you’ve always struggled with.
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So what do we do? First, I think we need to be more open about it. I’ve never heard someone talk about the overwhelm of seeing such a giant gallery of yourself during so many candid moments. I think even knowing it’s coming can help you so much with that first gallery experience. For my clients, they get a full page about it in their elopement guide and a section in their final gallery email letting them know about the hide photo feature.
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If you’re especially concerned about your body image in your photos, look at your gallery first focusing on your partner. Find a favorite photo of them in the mix. This will help you avoid fixating on little things you see in yourself.
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Keep in mind, I’ve hand combed through these images to pick the best. When I photographed you, I saw two happy people having an amazing day. When your partner looked at you that day, they saw their favorite person.
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Big thank you to Oregon Elopement Photographer for snapping these for us!
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Oregon Coast
Oregon elopement photographer

08/25/2026

This is what the final gallery stats are for this actual micro wedding gallery on the Oregon Coast.
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Of course, every wedding gallery is going to come out different depending on many factors. For example, these two brought guests along which always increases the final photo count. The more guests you have, the more reactions I have to capture for each moment. Some folks have more hours of coverage, some spend more time hiking to their spot, and so on.
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Because many are announcing their marriage with these photos, everyone gets sneak peeks within 48 hours. These galleries tend to be 30-70 images so it covers a little bit of everything.
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For all galleries, there’s no cap on photos. I’m not a “you get 200 photos” kinda photographer. If 300 photos turn out, you get 300 photos. If 500 turn out, you get 500. Some of these photos will be in black and white but not all of them. Not all photos pop in BW so I save that for the ones who are enhanced in some way in BW.
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All packages also include a roll of 35mm film, no extra charge. This comes out to about 36 frames, 30 or so once I get rid of blurry and unsalvageable photos. This is also the only place I convert everything to BW as well as color. The film tends to look great in different ways in color vs. black and white.
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Lastly, I always take a handful of cell phone videos. Years ago, I did this for videos like this one. Then I realized my couples love these videos! That changed my goal to grabbing clips for the couple and air dropping them immediately so they have instant footage. They’re nothing crazy but there’s something special about having your day documented like you do your day to day life.
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Oregon Coast elopement
Oregon elopement photographer

Let’s bust some elopement myths today. 🙅‍♀️•Elopements have evolved a lot in recent years. This has left them with a lot...
08/21/2026

Let’s bust some elopement myths today. 🙅‍♀️
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Elopements have evolved a lot in recent years. This has left them with a lot of misconceptions. Let’s bust some common ones 👇
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❌️ You can’t have guests or tell people for it to be a real elopement.

✅️ Elopements frequently have guests but it’s a more intentional list. It’s usually 25 or less and only the most important people in your life. Some couples do opt for just the two of them just as some opt to tell no one while others tell close loved ones. This is all up to you and what you prefer!
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❌️ Elopements aren’t real weddings.

✅️ All weddings are REAL weddings. Elopements are just as meaningful as traditional weddings. Often more meaningful depending on the couple.
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❌️ Eloping is your budget option.

✅️ While eloping is often lower cost, that’s not a reason to skip things you want for your day. Beautiful florals, officiant, small venue, private chef, etc. You’ll definitely save money on catering and a large venue but don’t use it as an opportunity to cut expenses in every way possible.
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❌️ Elopements are 1-2 hours.

✅️ 1-2 hours has never been long enough in my experience. Couples book me for 5-12 hours. We pack the day with amazing events that fit the couple. You deserve to have the full experience.
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Photo: Oregon Elopement Photographer
Coordinator: Alyssa Wink
Reception: Restaurant Beck
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Oregon Coast micro wedding
Pacific Northwest elopement photographer

There’s an option somewhere between traditional weddings and elopements. ⬇️•If one option doesn’t feel just right, chang...
08/13/2026

There’s an option somewhere between traditional weddings and elopements. ⬇️
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If one option doesn’t feel just right, change it to fit what you want. This beautiful day held a lot of similar traditions to a lot of weddings except it was only their closest friends and families. They still got to dance the night away, hang out with loved ones, AND go on a wedding outfit adventure.
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Here’s some of the most popular wedding variations I see:

1️⃣ Traditional style micro wedding. The main difference is the number of guests. You still get a lot of the wedding aspects without the pressure and price of 100+ guests. Keep in mind, days like these, I often recommend a venue like these two used. The more guests, the more limits you have in your use of public land for your ceremony.

2️⃣ Elopement with guests. These kinds of days use a lot of adventure elopement elements. They usually spend 50% or less of the day with their loved ones. They still get multiple hikes, quiet alone time, and a couple hours of family events. The family events are usually more low key like a beach picnic.

3️⃣ Event split up. You can do a full elopement with no guests and then do a reception at another date. Some people plan a low key reception that’s more like a family hang out. Some people basically throw a second wedding.

4️⃣ No guest elopement. This is the one you see the most on my page. If you want this solo experience but want your family to feel included, consider having them write you letters or hire a videographer to capture the day.
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The main point here is that you can pick whatever variation of wedding that fits you. It’s not just elopements or traditional weddings. Create a day as unique as your relationship!
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Oregon Coast
Oregon elopement photographer
Pacific Northwest elopement

An Oregon Coast elopement on 35mm film. 🎞️
07/21/2026

An Oregon Coast elopement on 35mm film. 🎞️

07/06/2026

One of the best and most emotional days of your life and you’re going to waste energy trying to keep your dress clean?
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If this freaks you out, I want to think about what you did or will do with your wedding dress after the wedding. My wedding dress is currently sitting on a hanger in the closet. What am I going to do, wear it for Halloween? You pay all this money for a dress you realistically wear for one day and it goes up in the closet.
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So why do we waste so much energy trying to keep a white dress clean on our special day? Take away from an important day for a dress that will sit in a closet for the rest of its life. What if we changed gears, what if we used the dress we use once to truly LIVE on your day? Run and dance with your new spouse. Stand in a creek, go on a hike, and watch the dirt stain creep its way up. When you’re done with your dress, it should look like you lived one of the best days of your life in it.
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(Also maybe don’t buy a super expensive wedding dress for hiking. 😂 It definitely helps getting over the mud.)
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So tell me, what adventures are you going to take your wedding dress on?
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Oregon Coast
Oregon elopement photographer

I got to celebrate the 7th anniversary of the origin story of my elopement business this week. 💍•It’s 2019 and I’m still...
07/02/2026

I got to celebrate the 7th anniversary of the origin story of my elopement business this week. 💍
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It’s 2019 and I’m still a high school science teacher in Idaho. We have an entire traditional wedding planned and we just realized it looks nothing like we wanted. Somewhere in the weeds of the details, we’d lost track of what we wanted our day to look like and planned a day for everyone else. I was gonna get married in a barn in Idaho y’all. 😬
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With 3 months to the date on the invites, we planned an entire Oregon Coast elopement for a month prior and turned our original date into a reception.
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It was the best choice we could’ve made.
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When I give you elopement advice, it all started with my own day. My very first elopement timeline I made was my own. I had to figure out how to get an Oregon marriage license as an out of state resident, just like you. I learned the ins and outs of wedding permits on the coast to see if I needed one. I always get a sandy dress photo during elopements because my sandy dress photo is one of my favorites from my elopement. I can tell you hiking in a dress isn’t as bad as you think because I bought my dress long before I knew I’d be hiking in it. When I tell you sand comes out of the dress shockingly well, it’s because my own dress cleaned up great for our reception.
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More importantly, eloping set a precedent in our relationship. We worried less about what people thought of our choices and more about what we thought of them.
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By 2020, I resigned as a teacher and started Venturing Vows. We uprooted our entire lives to move to the Oregon Coast. I’m a 5th generation born and raised Idahoan so this was a big deal.
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I haven’t booked a traditional wedding since 6/30/19.
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Oregon Coast elopement
Oregon elopement photographer

05/29/2026

Why you should elope on the Oregon Coast ⬇️

1️⃣ It’s 363 miles of epic scenery and location options. It gives you freedom to pick a spot that fits your vision, comfort level with crowds, and how long you want to hike.

2️⃣ The weather is mild year round. While there’s normal fluctuations seasonally, you won’t be dealing with snow or heat waves. Many people find the coast temperature from May-October to be perfect for those fancy outfits.

3️⃣ Less crowds than some public lands, especially national parks. Because the coast is so extensive and all public land, there’s lots of places to avoid crowds. Some places are busy but there’s so many hidden gems.

4️⃣ Forest fire smoke is rare on the Oregon Coast. Given how fire seasons have been going, this can be a big deal. You can’t guarantee no smoke but the odds are quite low because of how coastal weather works.

Check out my website to learn more about eloping on the Oregon Coast! There’s still time to plan your 2026 elopement.
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Oregon Coast elopement
Oregon elopement photographer

Swipe to see one of my favorite photos I’ve taken ➡️•We all love a good beach photo with birds flying about but actually...
05/12/2026

Swipe to see one of my favorite photos I’ve taken ➡️
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We all love a good beach photo with birds flying about but actually capturing that (and not disturbing them to get it) is a totally different story. I only have a handful of epic bird portraits in my portfolio.
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On this day, the stand out to me was just how many birds I know were in the background and how few of them really showed up in the image. There were HUNDREDS of birds soaring in circles and to me, it looks way less than that in the image.
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Regardless, I’m so glad I was able to capture this incredible feature of Haystack Rock. While I’m usually there knee deep in a tide pool, there’s something about experiencing the birds here. When the eagles land and they swirl like a cyclone. Or the masses who have gathered just to catch a small glimpse of the puffins.
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As always, I love my Oregon Coast home and I love when I get to capture all her amazing facets. 🪶
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Oregon Coast
Oregon photographer
Cannon Beach, OR

Address

Portland, OR

Website

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